The present invention relates generally to air cleaners for vehicles. More specifically, the present invention relates to pre-filters for engine air cleaning systems.
In certain engine applications for vehicles, pre-filters are used in conjunction with a primary filter to increase the filtration performance of the air cleaner as well as extend the life of the primary cleaner. The pre-filter removes coarser particles, for example, particles larger than 15 μm. Pre-filters may be used where large amounts of dusts or contaminants need to be removed, for example, in engine air cleaner systems for light/medium trucks, heavy vehicles, and off road type vehicles. In these applications, the pre-filter is incorporated with the primary filter as a single unit. Although the lifespan of the primary filter is significantly longer than that of the pre-filter, servicing the pre-filter requires servicing the primary filter as well. That is, when the pre-filter must be replaced, a user must gain access to both the primary filter and pre-filter, for example, by opening a cover in the air cleaner, and remove both filters, even when primary filter's lifespan has not been exceeded.
From the above, it is seen that there exists a need for an improved engine air cleaner system for vehicles in which the pre-filter can be serviced separately from the primary filter.